About the job

Job summary

Animal Technician

Grade EO (National) - £25,976 to £30,264

UKHSA Porton Down

Permanent Contract

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.

We have an exciting opportunity to join one of the two unique non-human primate (NHP) breeding colony facilities based within the High Containment and Biological Services. The Biological Services Group provides high containment in-vivo research services, with the primary aim of protecting the UK public from a range of health risks. Ongoing areas of work include vaccine batch release testing, influenza, COVID-19, tuberculosis, anthrax, and emerging human pathogens.

As an experienced animal technician, you will be providing high quality animal care and environmental enrichment for the NHPs.  You will be guiding routine work, overseeing junior staff and supporting senior staff members in regulated work.  Working with the wider colonies team, you will be maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare ensuring the NHPs and facilities are Home Office compliant.  This role is primarily a physical role, ensuring the environment is clean and nutritional requirements for the NHPs are fulfilled.  Weekend work (paid as overtime) is on a rota and will be introduced after a period of induction to the facility

UKHSA Porton Down – On-Site

*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.* 

Working Pattern – Full Time – 37.5 hours per week

Job description

Responsibilities section:

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Work with the colony team performing routine animal husbandry, continually striving to maintain the highest standards of care and welfare of all animals.
• To recognize, report and record ill health and welfare issues in Macaca species and be responsible for the Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS) duties, documenting and communicating issues to relevant team members, e.g., line manager, NACWO or NVS.

• As a Personal Licence (PIL) holder, prepare for, and contribute to, study work completed under Home Office Licence, including those using infection agents at ACDP containment level 2 and 3, undertaking associated safety precautions. Complete necessary documentation associated with study work completed.

• Support with basic necropsy examination and removal of specified tissues

• Maintain and regularly update written records and computer databases containing breeding records and duties performed, within specific guidelines. Regular submission of breeding data for ethical review.
• Assist with the supervision of junior staff and specific designated areas such as the post-mortem room, prep-room, surgical procedures room, X-ray processing room, sample receipt and storage areas, (the post holder takes full responsibility of areas in the absence of the Supervisor).
• Participate in the regular review of Standard Operating Procedures, Codes of Practice and Risk Assessments.
• Take part in rota system for weekend and public holiday working and essential ‘out of hours’ scoring of animals in study.
• Complete necessary training to undertake role safely, as identified through the training matrix, in discussion with your line manager and maintain own training record. Perform all duties within guidelines laid down by the Home Office, Health and Safety Executive, defra and MHRA.

• To fulfil the requirements of UKHSA Values and Behaviours commensurate with grade and comply with UKHSA policies and procedures.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Please see job description attached for full list of duties and competencies associated with the post.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 750 / 1500 words that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria (for full details of all essential criteria please refer to the attached job description):

Essential

• IAT Membership, level 2 qualification (or equivalent) including HND in Animal Technology
• Theoretical and practical training for working in an in-vivo setting
• Educated to minimum NVQ level 2 in a relevant subject or equivalent level of qualification or significant equivalent
• Significant experience of working in an animal-based environment achieving the highest level of animal welfare and maintaining staff safety
• Detailed knowledge of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
• Ability and willingness to undergo full UK Security Clearance

Desirable

• Home Office Personal Licence holder
• Study supervision i.e., taking responsibility for discrete packages of work to support research programmes
• Performing a range of regulated procedures under the authority of a Home Office licence

Please ensure that your statement of suitability does not contain any personal identifiers such as Name, Gender, Location, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation or Religion. The UKHSA operates a fair and open recruitment policy.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,976, UK Health Security Agency contributes £7,013 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Selection process details

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the full list of essential criteria as detailed in the attached job description – please do provide evidence of how you meet this. 

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW 

This competition will involve an interview by video. 

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. 

Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

The Success Profiles framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  The following behaviours will be used at the interview:

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 10th March 2024 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Shortlist: 22nd March 2024

Interviews: w/c 1st April 2024

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)

Nationality requirements

Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.  People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. 

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Complaint process:

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website. 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.